Miriam Hopkins: Q&A with Author Allan Ellenberger

If mentioned at all today, Miriam Hopkins' name pops up in the media for two reasons:

One of her movies is being shown on cable or at some retrospective or other, and someone says or writes that Old Hollywood's Miriam Hopkins was a selfish, self-centered, megalomaniacal, scene-stealing, temperamental, fire-spitting Bitch from Hell who made life difficult for co-stars, directors, producers, writers, cameramen, hairdressers, manicurists, costume designers, studio carpenters, and special effects personnel, among others.

Miriam Hopkins was Bette Davis' Foremost Nemesis. Davis hated her so much, but so much, that Joan Crawford, Jack Warner, Errol Flynn, and whoever else Davis feuded & fought with during her sixty-year career were transmogrified into angelic babes in comparison. (What's not widely known is that Davis had an affair with director Anatole Litvak when they were filming The Sisters in the late 1930s. At that time, Litvak happened to be Hopkins' husband.)

Well, talk about an unfair rap. One, for that matter, that has been going on for decades. (In 1940, for instance, the Harvard Lampoon cited Hopkins as "the least desirable companion on a desert island.")

the scandalous The Story of Temple Drake (taken from William Faulkner's equally scandalous Sanctuary), in which she gets raped (possibly with a corncob);

Becky Sharp, which happens to be the first all-(three-strip)Technicolor feature film;

These Three, a un-scandalous film version of The Children's Hour, the scandalous Lillian Hellman play about lies and lesbianism (Hopkins had a supporting role in the more "explicit" 1961 remake);

the classic tearjerker The Old Maid, in which Hopkins plays opposite none other than Bette Davis;

Additionally, I should mention the 1943 melo Old Acquaintance, also co-starring Davis, which inspired both (unofficially) the multiple Academy Award-nominee The Turning Point and (officially) Rich and Famous.

If I had the choice between watching Miriam Hopkins and Bette Davis, I wouldn't think twice; Miriam Hopkins would be my pick. Davis excelled at playing Bitches from Hell – and some of Davis' Bitches are the Greatest Ever – but in my view she was a dismal "sympathetic" heroine, as lightheartedly funny as a funeral and as sexy as Margaret Hamilton. Hopkins, on the other hand, with the right guidance could play just about any kind of role with ease.

She could be dramatic, all but stealing the show from Academy Award winner Fredric March in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; turning the bowdlerized These Three into a powerful, visceral drama; fully obfuscating Bette Davis in The Old Maid; and even teaching none other than Laurence Olivier a lesson or two in screen acting while playing his unrelentingly nasty wife in Carrie.

She could be funny, as can be attested by her charming thief in Trouble in Paradise, her unhappy princess who finally learns how to jazz up her lingerie in The Smiling Lieutenant (above), and even her cheesy – and highly successful – novelist in Old Acquaintance.

And she could be sexy: just look at her in the aforementioned Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or check out her free-thinking sophisticate having a three-way with Gary Cooper and Fredric March in Design for Living. And though "sexy" isn't quite the word for the sixty-something, matronly Hollywood has-been in Savage Intruder (1970), Hopkins does prove that nearly forty years after her pre-Coders, she still got what it took to seduce a guy – even if that basically meant sheer gutsiness and willpower.

But, you ask, was Miriam Hopkins really difficult?

Well, Allan talks about her reputation below. But what I, personally, think is utterly unfair is that Hopkins should be remembered for her temper and not for her work when she could be – and often was – an outstanding actress, superior to and more versatile than many other actresses of the era who are more fondly remembered.

In fact, Miriam Hopkins, who suffered a fatal heart attack in October 1972 shortly before her 70th birthday, remains a thoroughly underappreciated performer; one that merits a reevaluation of her long – and quite fruitful – career.

Allan has kindly agreed to answer several questions (via e-mail) about his biographical subject, ranging from her relationship with Bette Davis to her dealings with the highly subversive League of Women Shoppers. See next page.

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Leave your comment about Miriam Hopkins: Q&A with Author Allan Ellenberger in the space below. Important: Different views and opinions are perfectly fine, but courtesy and respect are imperative. Abusive, bigoted, baseless, and/or inflammatory comments will be blocked and offenders may be banned.

Allan, have you written that biography yet. I would like to read it. If so, please provide title.

Cynthia B. Lagasca

Dear Mr. Allan,

I think Ms. Hopkins needs to be given a tribute due her. She's a fine actress like Ms. Barbara Stanwyck, also a pre-code artist but has remained popular in her senior years due to prolific movies and tv series. In terms of acting prowess she can't be far behind. Just because she tackled controversial roles, movies, Hollywood relegated her to obscurity. The themes of movies she appeared in like Stanwyck's tackle the real situation of the time. Gangsters, abuse, violence, and prostitution do emerge since its the period of the Great Depression. Thank you.

Cyn

Valerie

Allan Please email me I would like to share some info with you re: Edward Gray. My sister is his daughter,My brothers have passed. We have all been thinking of him a lot lately then I came across the Oct 30th story.

Thank You

Elias Eliadis

Dear Allen: I must tell you how I enjoyed your discussion of the great Miss Miriam Hopkins! Please keep us updated on the biography. Since the election, I have been "de-toxing" from politics by watching old movies; nothing made after 1970 and preferably 30s, 40s, and a few 50s pictures. Although Miss Davis remains my all time favorite female actor, Miss Hopkins has hurtled to the top in a very short while! I, too first was aware of Miss Hopkins through the two pictures she made with Miss Davis. She mops the floor with Bette in "The Old Maid" while I find they are a better compliment to each other in the wonderful "Old Acquaintance" a movie I feel is unfairly dismissed by many as a rather routine "women's" melodrama. In actuality, their scenes together are stunning, and the 26 minute sequence at her hotel apartment later in the film is dominated by Miss Hopkins, although it does end with the famous "Davis Shake." Since the election I have collected 28 of Miss Hopkins' films. As you say, most are poor quality, but it does give one a chance to finally own these frequently wonderful films! If the distributor wants the money, let them release these films on dvd. A collection set would be a smash! I, too have ruminated over why Miss Hopkins is not more remembered. I think you are right that it's because she made relatively few films over a long career in which she took long periods of time off to do theater and radio. If she was "difficult" (and I cannot imagine her being as hateful as some say) I say, too bad as brilliant people are not the same as others. Miriam Hopkins is a stunning beauty-not the dumb blonde that was Jean Harlow, but the cunning and clever blonde who got any man, gay or straight, to do her bidding.

Allan, Just wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed your appreciation of Miriam. I haven't yet seen quite enough of her work, but I have seen her in Jekyll & Hyde, Temple Drake, and the YouTube clip of her with Colbert singing Jazz Up Your Lingerie. I find her adorable, she impresses me as one of the most talented, charming and attractive actresses of the pre-Code era. While I realize that as you say she doesn't have quite the stature of a Davis or Hepburn in our time, I do think that those with a deeper, more seasoned awareness of cinema's history are aware of and can acknowledge her gifts, her lasting contributions. I look forward to the viewing of more of her films down the road.